Habitat & Conservation  |  05/15/2023

Chapter Spotlight: Dubuqueland Chapter of PF


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Dubuqueland PF Chapter members pose proudly by the sign for the Leifker Wildlife Area — a public land acquisition made possible by a conservation partnership involving this chapter, and other chapters and partners in Iowa.
By Josh Divan

Pull up a map of the United States and place your finger on the spot where Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois all come together. You just found the home of Dubuqueland chapter of Pheasants Forever.

If this chapter sounds familiar to you, it’s because earlier this year they were recognized as the National Chapter of the Year for Membership. That award revolved around the Dubuqueland PF chapter’s innovative approach to designing the first-ever, drive-through banquet which worked through the challenges of the pandemic and allowed their chapter to continue to deliver mission largely uninterrupted.

While that success story is worthy of a chapter spotlight in and of itself, that is only one example of the Dubuqueland PF chapter’s impressive accomplishments as of late. This dedicated group of volunteers looks for every opportunity they can to deliver on all facets of PF’s mission.

In 2022 alone, Dubuqueland PF organized 21 workdays on public lands, doing everything from prescribed fire to planting shrubs to removing invasive species. On the permanent protection and public access fronts, they recently played a leading role in a partnership acquisition that almost doubled the size of the Hale Wildlife Management Area. In the education and outreach department, they host no less than five events a year that include a youth outdoor day, Becoming an Outdoor Woman field days, and organizing a veteran’s hunt.

It is easy to feel like the challenges facing habitat and upland wildlife are at times overwhelming. But my resolve is strengthened every time I get to learn about the amazing accomplishments of chapters like Dubuqueland PF. It puts a smile on my face knowing that our organization is made up of over 700 other chapters with the same passion: each and every one of them, hungry for habitat.

Josh Divan is the Iowa State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.

This story originally appeared in the 2023 Winter Issue of the Pheasants Forever Journal. If you enjoyed it and would like to be the first to read more great upland content like this, become a Pheasants Forever member today!